Page 19 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

Julia patted his hand. “I’ve got it,” she whispered as she rose, skirting the table to wrap an arm around her sister.

Alicia sniffled, wiping at her cheeks again as she shifted away from her sister, but this time Julia was not going to allow her to put distance between them. She tightened her grip. “Let’s go talk.”

Alicia, struggling not to let more tears spill onto her cheeks, bobbed her head up and down in a silent response. Julia leaned her head against her sister’s as she led her from the dining room to the living room.

She eased Alicia into the leather as she perched on the coffee table and took her sister’s hands in hers. “Ally…”

“Why, Juju? You had all this going on, and you just kept lying to me.” Her voice remained raw with hurt.

“I’m sorry.”

Alicia sniffled again. “I appreciate the apology, but, Julia, why? Why did you keep this from me? And why did you marry him?”

“It’s complicated.”

Alicia shook her head, eyes still glassy. “That’s all I’m getting? You’ve been kidnapped, close to death, in some kind of love triangle with a father and son that led to a fistfight…” The emotions spilled over again as her voice hitched and her features melted.

“But I’m fine.”

Alicia blew out a shaky breath. “I don’t know how. A car accident?”

Julia squeezed her hands. “I’m okay. No lasting effects.”

Alicia wiped at her tears again. “So, this complicated relationship. Does it have to do with…something he has on you? Are you married to him because he’s blackmailing you?”

“No!” Julia said, her voice incredulous. “No, nothing like that. I promise.”

Alicia stared at her sister with tear-filled eyes, trying to assess the truth of her statement.

“I’m not lying. But I never intended for you to know about any of this.”

Alicia screwed up her face. “So, what? You were just going to stay away for the rest of your life?”

Julia shook her head. “No, but…” She centered her gaze on her sister’s face. “I need to know I can trust you with this.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Ally…”

“Fine, fine. You can trust me.”

“Grant and I…our marriage is…it’s a contract. And if you tell anyone that outside of this family, I will deny it. But…we got married to save his image from a hostile board. We were only supposed to be married for a year. I figured…” Julia shrugged. “I’d marry him, we’d get divorced, and no one here would be any the wiser.”

Alicia’s features shifted from upset to confused. “What? So, what are you saying? You’re…like a prop? An employee?”

“More or less,” Julia said with a nod.

“Then why the hell aren’t you divorced? Why are you on a family vacation sixteen months later?”

“We…didn’t resolve all of the issues within the year. Things are really complex. We agreed to extend the contract for another year.”

Alicia studied her lap, trying to make sense of it. “Well…I don’t understand, Juju. I see what he’s getting out of this, but what are you getting besides nearly killed?”

Julia heaved a sigh. “Five million a year.”

Alicia’s eyes went wide, though Julia couldn’t decide if it was from the amount or the fact that she’d married a man for money. “Oh my goodness, Julia.”

Julia gave her sister a moment to process it, hoping she now understood why she said nothing.